A Storm Is Brewing
by ApocRagnarok
Summary: Away from the lively adventures of the Fairy Tail guild, a new guild is just beginning to take root in the once-guildless town of Onibus. The guild master, Katar Morell, is a skilled illusionist. But will he survive robbing the assassin's guild, Whispering Lotus, of one of their greatest assassins?
1. Chapter 1

The sun beat down on the secluded guild hall of Whispering Lotus. The dark assassins within crept in the shadows, dutifully avoiding the blistering heat of the day. One such assassin turned from the job board, mission in hand. She approached the guild master quietly, informing him of her intentions. After relaying what he knew of the target, the master sent her off on her mission. It would be three days before she arrived in Onibus, where the damned soul waited for death.

Onibus station was bustling with life today. In mere days, the city would finally have its own guild. The guild's master was remembered by many as a performer who had made his money with shows of magic in the streets. Soon however, he would move from petty street performer to respected guild master. And so the town was even more energetic than usual. Hopeful wizards arrived each hour, on the hour, for a chance to join a guild before the standards could be raised. One wizard among them sat quietly on a bench, tapping away at a magical blue screen. "Lots of wizards coming from all over. Not too many noteworthy ones so far. A big nature wizard passed by recently. Analysis says he's pretty tough. Big in size. Yeah." He sighed and pulled another bluish square up onto his screen. "There's a younger girl who can turn into different weapons, a celestial spirit wizard… No data on what spirits he has… Oh, and a guy who… fights with mist, apparently. Yeah. Mist. No, not that are overly noteworthy. No, I'm not sending you the list. This is private info. No, they didn't consent, which is why only _I_ can look at the data. Yes, it is hypocritical. I could always _stop_ spying on the people coming into the town. That's what I thought."

Katar Morell sat in a lone chair in the center of the newly finished guild hall, encircled on the floor by the emblem of what would soon be his guild. The emblem depicted a grand dragon, which curled into a circle, finally meeting its tail to its mouth and biting into it. This was everything Katar had dreamed of since he was a child. In just four days, this guild would be full of wizards. In just four days, Katar would lead a family of wizards, the likes of which Fiore had never seen. Illusions of grandeur flooded his mind and, spreading his arms wide, he laughed joyfully. A column of light from the glass dome on the roof was glistening upon his guild's emblem when, suddenly, the smallest of imperfections formed on the edge of the otherwise perfect circle of light. Katar glanced towards it and grinned more widely. An arrow crashed through the giant window and sailed towards the would-be guild master, and as it pierced his form, the illusion sitting in the chair fizzled, then shattered into nothing.

 _Hope you guys enjoyed Chapter One! More to come soon, stay tuned! -Apoc_


	2. Chapter 2

"Shoot." Akira Credell ducked out of view from the inside of the hall. "An illusionist. Would've been nice to know that before I gave up my element of surprise. Although clearly I never had it in the first place." She stared down at her bow thoughtfully, then reached into the air, opening a small hole through which she could access her stash of magical arrows. "Maybe a splitting shot…"

Katar paced quietly around the hall, watching the dome above him. _That was a pretty nice shot, all things considered…_ The shroud of magic around him would hide him from the assassin's eyes, but that could mean that the killer would target an area, and Katar didn't have much to defend himself with on a physical level. He was practiced in the most basic of Make magics, but he only knew a few specific things. _Best to stay out of range until they come down._

Akira fired a new arrow into the hall, watched it split into a swarm of ten, and watched them all thud softly into the wooden floor. "Darn… He's gonna make me come down there." She looked down at her hands and clenched them into fists. "Wave." Quivering fields of magic-disrupting waves appeared over her hands. "Hopefully I can cut through his illusions with these." She glanced down into the guild hall. "Still hiding." She took a deep breath. "Alright, here i come."

The assassin landed on the edge of the emblem that marked the center of the hall. She wasn't particularly short or tall, at least to Katar. Her hair was a light pomegranate, her eyes a cherry red, and her armor a deep crimson. The bow in her hand was, too, a red color. But oddly, on her back there was no quiver, and in her hands no arrows. _Where does she keep them, I wonder?_ Katar watched her from the shadows, investigating her mannerisms. Certainly she was an experienced killer, but there was a hesitance to her movements, a way about her that seemed to say 'I'm only doing this because I have to.' If he could help it, Katar wanted to avoid killing her like he'd killed the others.

"Come on out, Illusionist. I know you're here. Let's not waste each others' time." Akira reached out into the empty space beside her, and opened a tiny portal that lead to her arrow box. She removed an arrow, and let it close. Knocking it on her bow, she took up a defensive stance and paced the ring formed by the emblem of the guild. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. _Sense him, find his presence…_ Finally her breath hitched as she felt him, just for a moment. Faster than she could think about it, she had loosed an arrow at him.

Katar cried out as the arrow pierced his flesh, cutting into his shoulder and scraping against bone. The illusion hiding him fall away as his concentration broke from the agony of his wound. Lifting his head, he watched the assassin approach him quietly. She regarded him with a look of pity before reaching again into space for another arrow. "You don't… want to kill me…" He gasped in pain as she readied her next shot.

"Yes, actually, I do. It's your life that pays for my dinner." She pulled the arrow back. "Do you have any last words?"

"Not today, he doesn't." A translucent blue box appeared around the girl, trapping her and her arrow. She whirled around towards the doorway to see a man with short blonde hair, tapping away at a screen and not looking at her at all, walking towards them.

"Sarlin… Thank god…" Katar breathed out in relief.

"Don't thank a god that would've watched you die." The man, Sarlin, motioned his hand upward, and the box containing Akira moved with it. "Now, would-be assassin, leave, and never return." With a flick of his wrist, he threw the box and its contents through the open window and out of the city.

 _What did you guys think of Chapter Two? I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm hoping to get on track with regular updates soon. Stick around, because the story only gets better!_


	3. Chapter 3

Sarlin bent down over his friend to inspect the arrow wound left by the assassin. "It's very deep. We'll need to take you to a healer."

"I can't… Leave… What if… People come…?" Katar's vision began to blur as blood continued to seep from the hole in his shoulder.

"If they are too unintelligent to realize you'll return as soon as you're able, then I'm sure we will perform well enough without them. Now, let's go." Sarlin began typing away at the translucent keyboard on his screen, commanding a bluish platform to materialize beneath the injured guild master. The platform rose, lifting Katar up, and followed Sarlin as he began to leave.

As Sarlin stepped out of the guild, however, he was met by a giant of a man. He was dressed in strange garbs, a scarflike cloth overtop a long green coat. His pants were baggy, but his sleeves were striped. Sarlin thought him familiar. "You are…"

"Is he hurt?" A deep bass mumbled from the man's mouth. His eyes were filled with concern as he came nearer.

"Yes. We've just had a run in with an assassin. I am on my way to take him to a healer." Sarlin regarded the man with caution. He was so large that it would not be unforeseeable for the man to be able to snap Sarlin, frail as he was, like a twig.

"I don't believe that will be necessary. I could heal it, if you'd let me." The man lowered himself slightly, as to appear less threatening.

"Hmm… And your name is…?"

"Grool. I've come to join your guild." He gestured towards the guild mark present on Sarlin's neck.

Sarlin smiled, a rare occurrence. "Then, by all means." He waved for Grool to pass him. "My name is Sarlin, assistant to the Master. And this, is Katar Morell. The First Master."

Grool shuffled past Sarlin and dug through his pockets until he found a small bowl, sealed with a magic lid. "Master Katar, this is going to hurt. Please try to stay still." Katar regarded him with what consciousness he still had. "He's lost a lot of blood it seems. He's barely conscious."

"Indeed." Sarlin crossed his arms. "It was a good shot."

Grool nodded and placed the bowl onto the platform upon which Katar laid. He then grasped the Master's shoulder with one hand, and with the other, pulled on the arrow until it dislodged itself. Katar passed out from the pain. "That makes things easier…" Grool mumbled as he opened the bowl and removed a few fingerfuls of the poultice within. As he rubbed the substance over and into the wound, he began to hum a low, soothing melody. A quiet, weak spell of healing, aided by the magical poultice. The wound began to close, slowly.

After ten minutes of humming and careful spell casting, the wound closed, with no trace remaining of the injury. Grool reached for his bowl and sealed it once more, then stood and held out the arrow to Sarlin. "This arrow is magical in some way. You may want to investigate exactly what it was, since I have detected no traces of poison or other harmful substances in it."

Sarlin took the arrow gratefully. "Thank you very much. Once he regains consciousness, I'm sure Master Katar would like to thank you as well. And if you are still interested, I'm sure he would happily bestow upon you a guild mark."

Grool nodded to Sarlin, and the two carefully brought Katar back inside.


	4. Chapter 4

In the darkest alleys of the capital city, Crocus, two wizards lurked together in secret. Theirs was a forbidden arrangement. One bore the mark of a guild of light, the other a guild of darkness. His was the mark of a dragon feasting eternally on its tail. Hers was of a blackest flower, the lotus. The man's name was Farror. His hair was a deep green, his body muscular. His eyes hid from the light that entered from the main streets. The woman's name was Liana. Her hair was a golden blonde, her body slender and lithe. Her eyes reveled in the darkness, displayed themselves like lanterns. Today was the day of their parting. It was time for Farror to return to his home, for he had only come so far, under the guise of business, to see her. Little did the two know that trouble would soon brew between the factions they represented. Soon the two lovers would be at risk of horrible conflict.

It was with great pain that Farror finally removed himself from Liana. "I really do need to leave, Liana. It's almost time for the grand opening. Katar would never forgive me if I missed it."

She sighed, her heart heavy at the thought of being without him again. "When will we see each other again?"

"I hate to say it, but I think our next meeting will have to be at least a month from now. I have to establish myself among my guild mates or I'll never be taken seriously. But I promise, this won't be the last time we see each other."

"How do you know? Our line of work is dangerous... What if one of us... Can't come back?"

"I have all the faith in the world that you would find me even in death." He pulled her in for a final kiss. "It's time for me to go."

She held to him tightly. "I'll be back here, in Crocus, in exactly thirty days from now. I'll only wait for you for a week before I have to return again."

"I'll be there." His hand slowly detached themselves as Farror stepped out of the alley, leaving Liana behind. He had a mission. Ensure Endless Dragon becomes the number one guild in all Fiore! He shrugged off the pain of his farewell, and focused on what was ahead. He reached into his pocket and removed his deck of magical cards. Placing them up to his ear, he listened. _'Beware!'_ They said, _'An ill fate awaits!'_

* * *

It was hours before Katar finally awakened. When he did, Sarlin alone was watching over him in the infirmary of the guild. Katar woke silently, and saw Sarlin tapping away at his screen, a deep trance of concentration surrounding him. "Sarlin...?" Sarlin lifted his head towards the guild master.

"Ah. You're finally awake. And Grool only just left."

Katar sat up carefully, but was surprised to find no wound remaining in his shoulder. "He healed me very well."

"Indeed, it would seem so. He also indicated that he wanted to be among the first to join, although I did make it clear that the guild was not technically open to proper members for two more days." Sarlin returned to his screen, satisfied with his brief evaluation of Katar's state of health.

"And what did he say to that?"

"Something to the extent of 'Just because I can't take jobs, doesn't mean I can't represent.'"

Katar laughed. "And I'm sure you told him off anyway."

"Of course."

"So he left for the time being, then?"

"He promised to return tomorrow morning, so that if you should choose to allow newcomers to take up your mark, he could be the first." Sarlin smirked to himself.

"He sounds like a fun guy." Katar swung his legs over the side of the infirmary bed and stood, wobbling a bit as he did. "I wonder if anyone else will come today? I might have to send them off until tomorrow if that's the attitude the man who healed me had."

"I would not allow the actions and opinions of one man to influence your leadership style. He healed you of his own accord. You owe him nothing."

"You happen to do quite a great many things of _your_ own accord, as I recall. Should I take that to mean that I owe you nothing for saving me from that bow-wielding assassin?"

"Yes, actually. You owe me nothing. However, since I know you will find a way to pay me back despite that, I will happily accept any means of friendship, attention, or other physical reward as repayment, as unnecessary as it may be." All of this, Sarlin continued to say without turning even one eye away from his screens.

"Well I will certainly take that into account." Katar grinned and moved for the door. "Will you be accompanying me into the hall?"

"I suppose." Sarlin stood, never taking his attention away from his magic, and followed Katar out into the hall. The two were surprised, however, to find someone dancing in the spotlight of the glass ceiling. The glass, Katar noticed, had been repaired since he had fallen unconscious, likely with Sarlin's magic. The dancer was a small woman with powder blue hair. Tiny gusts of wind carried her aloft as she leapt in dance. Their movement seemed to catch the woman's eye, causing her to halt her dance and meet their gazes.

"Oh! Hello! You guys must be the founders!" She cried out to them happily.

"Yes!" Katar responded as he made his way down the stairs to her. "Well, two of the three, anyway."

"That's _so_ cool. My name's Lana! I passed a big man on my way in a while ago, and he said that I should wait out here until you guys came out, so here I am!"

The Master laughed. "So should I assume you're looking to join, then?"

"Yes! Absolutely! That's like, _exactly_ why I came! That's also why I waited for like, an hour. Maybe two? I forget. But yeah, I wanna join! And I wanna put my mark right here!" She pointed to her lower stomach, slightly to the left. "It'll be like my first tattoo! Except it's not really a tattoo, but it'll still look like one. I'm _soo_ excited, can you tell?"

* * *

 _Aaand that's gonna do it for chapter four! Good stuff, right? It only gets better from here, I promise! Also, two chapters in the same week! Very proud of myself, I've gotta say. Stay tuned guys. The plot will soon thicken. Then thicken some more, methinks._


	5. Chapter 5

Akira Credell clutched a bruised arm as she skulked through the shadows of the forest just beyond the limits of Onibus. "I can't believe that nerd interfered. I _had_ him!" Her face and armor were patterned with cuts and scratches from her hard landing. Traces of blood still lingered on her already red clothing, and it would have made her appear even more fearsome had not the blood clearly been her own.

The shadows around the assassin began to shift and squirm, slowly forming a black vortex around her as she walked. She grimaced, knowing what was coming. A man, with pitch black hair and shining green eyes, rose from the shadow and smiled knowingly at her. "The Crimson Shadow, bested by a lowly illusionist. Oh how great assassins fall."

"Shut up, Exin. I'm not in the mood." Akira glared at him. Exin, the Black Shadow. He was the top assassin in Akira's guild. Akira was ranked only two places lower, at the third most skilled. And she despised him.

"Well, you may find that our Master is not in the mood either. I hope that those cuts and bruises are the price paid for succeeding. For your sake." Exin grinned smugly. "Because if not, I can't promise you'll last much longer here..."

"Don't report to him yet. I'm not done with my target yet. I'll have his head soon enough." Akira had to contain her panic. If word got out that she had failed, expulsion from the guild would be the least of her worries. People could not just 'leave' the guild. "But first, I need to go to Hargeon. If you have to report to him, tell him I scouted my target and decided to take more time to prepare. I _will_ kill him."

* * *

Almost twenty-four hours had passed since Akira had failed her assassination. Since then, she had made herself as inconspicuous as possible. She made her way to the train station so she could nurse her wounds on the way to Magnolia. She needed a breather after such a frustrating day. _I'll visit Mom._

When she finally arrived, it was early morning. She kept to the shadows, crawling through alleyways and in the cracks between buildings. As she set her eyes upon the apartment where her mother stayed, she prepared herself to climb up the uneven brickwork of the building. She had done this many times, though, so it was not so challenging as it may have been when first she had been forced to do it. She crawled in through the window which her mother now always left open, no matter the weather. Akira tumbled to the carpeted floor and at last was allowed to relax. She let out a relieved sigh and spread out on the warm carpet. "Finally…"

"Akira? Is that you?" A soft shuffling could be heard coming from the bedroom. "It's about time."


	6. Chapter 6

"They're going to come here looking for you, you know." Sarlin noted disapprovingly as Katar locked the doors to the guild.

"Yes, I'm aware. However, the guild is meant to open tomorrow, not today, so they'll just have to wait." Katar shrugged, turning towards the city. "Let's enjoy our last day without responsibilities."

"As you command." Sarlin sighed and joined Katar.

"It wasn't a command," Katar laughed, "But if it means you'll join me, I won't complain." Katar began walking through Onibus.

"Should we get something for breakfast?" Sarlin looked up from his screens.

"That sounds wonderful. But first, I think we should try to contact Farror. I haven't heard from yet, and he needs to be here tomorrow."

"There's no need. He's already on his way. He should be here shortly, actually." Sarlin eyed something in particular on one of his screens.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"He wanted to surprise you."

"Then why _did_ you tell me?"

"You asked. And you outrank him."

"In what world do I _outrank_ Farror."

"In the world where you're his guild master." Sarlin glanced at Katar, looking somewhat annoyed. "We could wait for him before attending breakfast, if you'd like."

"I _would_ like that, actually."

* * *

Farror arrived in Onibus about an hour later. He descended into the city on a large, flying playing card, landing beside the other two founders. "'Sup?"

"It's about time, Farror." Katar grinned and moved up to hug the green-haired man.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't start with me, guy. I could've showed up tomorrow morning if I wanted to. I just didn't feel like listening to you whine."

"I don't _whine_. I just inform you of your faults."

"Luckily for me, I have none." Farror smirked. "Anyway, where we eatin'?"

* * *

 _Super short one this time, sorry guys! I was gonna make it longer, but it wasn't flowing right, so it's gonna end here. Next chapter should be longer, but I make no promises..._

 _Anywayyyy, Thanks so much for the reviews! It's always incredibly inspiring when someone shows any kind of interest in my writing, so thank you!_


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